KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. – There’s no such thing as a snow day when you’re out saving lives.
“We’re here to help people. It’s not really about our days, it’s about their days; so we’re here to take care of them,” says Ryan Davis, paramedic with Life EMS Ambulance in Kalamazoo.
Davis says even though it’s challenging to respond to a top priority call within eight minutes, the snow doesn’t stop him at work.
“It’s fairly quick but with the wind chills getting down, if someone’s down outside for eight minutes, you’re getting frost-bitten pretty quickly. So even if we get there quickly, it can still be a danger for them,” explains Davis.
Staying warm is a danger for the medics too: when they’re out on the roads for thirty minutes or so, Davis says they dress the part.
“We’re having our employees wear turtle necks, thermal socks and coats; just trying to keep them as warm as possible while the wind chills are getting cold,” adds Davis.
As this snow storm hit over the weekend, Kalamazoo County emergency dispatchers say the medics responded to almost 150 calls. The medics say they hope this winter weather keeps most people at home.
“As the weather goes on, people tend to stay inside a little bit more and things taper off a little bit. The bit increase though, is the amount of car accidents you see,” adds Davis.
